How fares doubled... as train was early by just one minute

IT SHOULD have been a cause for celebration for commuters after rail bosses made their service depart one minute earlier.

But the apparently positive development in ScotRail’s new timetable had a sting in the tail – it also meant the fare doubling in price to £30.

Fuming passengers yesterday hit out at the fare increase.

A single ticket for the 9.15am intercity journey from Perth to Glasgow used to cost £17.

But a timetable tweak brings it forward to 9.14am, which is peak time, and the fare rises to more than £30.

Ken Ferguson, who regularly uses the service, said he was stunned to be asked to pay nearly double the usual price.

He added: ‘I was planning to take a trip into Glasgow on Monday to see some friends. When I asked for a ticket for the 9.14am service, the guy at the counter actually said: “Are you really sure you want to do that?”

‘I couldn’t believe it was going to cost me nearly double for almost exactly the same service. I refused to pay. And to make matters worse, the next train to Glasgow had been cancelled.’

The cut-off for peak-time services is 9.15am.

Local MSP Murdo Fraser last week called on the Scottish Government to put pressure on ScotRail after a weekend of widespread travel disruption.

He said: ‘A train leaving at 9.14am cannot be considered peak-time and I would encourage ScotRail to look at the pricing of this particular route.’

A ScotRail spokesman said: ‘We encourage customers to buy tickets in advance of their journey whenever possible to take advantage of the savings on offer.’

‘Are you sure you want a ticket?’